JASON GIDEON.

➳ |{ He watches Gideon with some unnameable pride – even though they’re subtle, small acts tenderness that Gideon’s showing towards his new feathered friend, Aaron hasn’t seen him so nurturing in quite a while. The two are gruffly kind, a little cantankerous sometimes, and completely perfect for each other. He can’t help but echo Gideon’s laugh as Zipporah grumpily emerges to check on her owner – or her friend, more like.  “Maybe you two are just too good of a match,” he says, eyes twinkling. 

➳ |{ The feeling is entirely mutual. He’d felt more lost without Gideon’s sensible, reassuring presence than he’d like to admit. Hotch is glad that Gideon’s found some good company, despite said company’s squawky nature. 

“Seems like everyone’s getting Pokémon these days,” he muses, watching the little tuft of feathers that’s all he can see of Zipporah shift and grumble. “I’ve wondered about getting one myself, but I haven’t got the faintest idea of how to go about it. How’d you find Zipporah?” 

« ∫ “She was the one who found me.  I decided to take a trip down to District Mu to catch a Pokémon––didn’t matter which one––and I brought some food along.  She dove down to get it and hurt herself, and after a little bit of bickering, she let me help her and give her some food.  She just kinda tapped the Pokéball after an hour or so.  Dunno why; she seems to be constantly irritated here, either with me or the environment,” he sighs lightly as Zipporah crawls out to look at Aaron once more.  

      WHAT A PAINFULLY AVERAGE INDIVIDUAL. Wrinkled and wasting, he ought to turn soon. While she could care less for the objective of this experiment, she had gathered the assumption that any chosen participants were proficient in their own rights. Rare was the blatantly ordinary person; from monsters to superhuman mortals, characters of these calibers inhabited most residences. All he owns is his sharp gaze. “Do I fascinate you? Or is human observation merely a hobby of yours?”

@insightdamned

➳ |{ Aaron can’t help but smile, touching his now disheveled hair gingerly in the absence of the prickly little feet.   “It’s good to see you, Jason,” he says. “Is this beautiful lady a friend of yours?” He watches the little bundle of feathers huddle down and disappear (mostly) in the recesses of Gideon’s coat. “She picks her perches well.” 

« ∫ “She’s beautiful and an impulsive, absolute brat, but yes––Zipporah belongs to me; she’s one of those Pokémon that roam around here, and I think she’s a Rowlet.  I’d just call her a very fluffy barn owl with a leaf bowtie, but that’s just me.”  He gently pets the soft feathers on Zipporah’s head, and she seems to relinquish some of her crabbier countenance.  

Deadpool is completely ready to get drunk off his ass on eggnog or some traditional wine during that one part of Hannukah where the family passes down a single wine glass through the family. He’s always ready to get drunk off his ass on any alcoholic beverage, but he’s only recently rediscovered the joys of being drunk.

“It’s a date. I’ll be over in sector 5 in...” he checks his watch. “Oh shit, two days ago. Hope you don’t mind me missing the lighting of the first two candles cuz somebody can’t be bothered to get to his drafts.”

“It’s not the bad behavior that needs to be weaned, but poor instincts.” Yes they were definitely a little too well-cared for. Even Shyarly would let her sharks alone for a few days at a time so that they could learn to fend for themselves again. Bring a pet to a fancy place like this and it would learn to expect the same level of pampering. “Else your bird will make a snack for any predator wearing something shiny.” Well, that was all how she saw it anyway. 

Taking the plate as it was offered, she fell back on the couch. “Ah, much appreciated.” Shyarly daintily dipped a meat kebab into some sauce before not so daintily shredding it in her mouth. Back to the topic at hand. “So can I take it that this is your first time at such an event?”

“Oh…! Kirby is warm and thankful now.” He snuggles down against his granddad. “One day, Kirby will get… will get his powers back. One day, and then, it won’t be so cold.”

“Too cold… to move… Kirby misses Fire powers…”

So she had misjudged him a little. “Oh? Still going to be a recluse after you’ve seen all these splendor. And all the free food.” Knowing that, he seemed more like the type to get along with her roommate. Great, just the type of men she needed more of in her life.

Peering at the bird creature with one eye, she didn’t wait for the man to scold it or reach for it before she gave it a quick flick to the forehead. It wasn’t the kind thing to do but fear was a good teacher for beasts. “Your pet has lost it’s natural instincts.” 

Only a domesticated animal would think it safe to approach a shark––a hungry one at that. Shyarly leaned back and cupped her hands over her stomach. “Think you can fetch me one of those snack platters?”

« ∫ "Please don’t flick my bird; I’ll do the job of scolding her bad behavior, thank you,” Gideon said, trying to keep his voice civil.  Sure, Zipporah needed to learn better manners, but flicking wasn’t how.  “She was just interested in your dress and was marveling at how pretty you look in her own special way.  I stopped her from pecking off the sequin.”

➳ |{ Aaron’s on an early walk when he hears the faint, soft flutter of wings behind him. He doesn’t even manage to duck before a round little mass of feathers descends on his head, sharp tiny feet tangling in his hair.   He bites back a yelp and catches a glimpse of a small, owlish face before his attacker hoots, unbothered, and settles firmly on his head. 

“Hello there,” he says, feeling a bit ridiculous. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

« ∫ She swivels back and forth, very content with the way things are going.  Not only is this man tall, he’s warm underneath her feet!  This is perfect for her; she hates the cold and it’s cold in this stupid human park.  She hoots again, taking in the park.

Shyarly rolled over in her seat, almost striking a pose before she just let her arms sag. Cute bird creature, must have been one of those Pokémon, though she thought having them roaming out of their balls was uncouth. All hers were Sharpedos that just stayed in the water. “Oh yes, all of them. I make it a point not to miss out. You skip one and you’ll be behind on all the gossip for months.” Not to mention most people got invitations or brought guests and turning down those offers was just plain rude for all the hard work the hosts put in.

“Plus its nice to have something normal to look back on when the stranger incidents begin.” There hadn’t been something like that for a while, so they were due for another soon––and Shyarly was not looking forward to it. She’d be worried if anyone was. “You look like you get out often. Know any events that I’m missing out on?”

« ∫ Gideon held back laughter.  “Absolutely not.  I keep to myself most of the time, but I thought that it might be at least interesting to see a brief moment of happiness in this city.” He’d only been there a couple months and already could tell that it was going to be a wild and excruciating ride, if the first “event” proved anything.  

     Zipporah hooted, hopping down into Shyarly’s lap and looking up at her with wide, interested eyes.  Quiet chirps left her beak as she felt the soft, shiny material of the dress, and as she gently pecked at a sequin.

@insightdamned

“I’ll see you later, Marie.” Shyarly waved to her small squid friend as they entered the party. They had come together but time in the car ride was enough to catch up on everything that was important. Splitting up to do their own thing was the plan. 

Shyarly studied the crowd, looking for the most comfortable seat that gave her a nice view of the ballroom to catch any exciting developments. It was too early for dancing or drinking. So she had to pick someone to socialize with for now. Other people stuck with their friends, but Shyarly was always looking to make more––friends, enemies, whatever.

When the nearest human passed by a little too close, she reached out for their hand. “Hey, come over here and talk with me a little.” An invitation to sit and chat with a giant beautiful mermaid was unlikely to be turned down by anyone.

« ∫ The earliest times of a party were the ones Gideon liked best, as everyone was too busy settling into the groove to be loud ( and possibly obnoxious ) just yet.  With Zipporah on his shoulder and hooting quietly in his ear, he began to survey the room for the best space to observe and eat a good meal.

     A woman’s voice broke his concentration, as well as a gentle touch to his hand.  He looked to his right, spying a very tall young woman, maybe in her late twenties, wearing a very beautiful blue dress and a series of shell-themed jewelry.  Gideon studied her face for a moment; she seemed genuine and possibly likable, and so he sat down beside her after a moment, Zipporah fluttering onto the table with a small screech, annoyed that he’d stopped walking around.

@insightdamned / hive city winter ball 2017

he hadn’t expected to see gideon here. it hadn’t seemed like his sort of party.  he slipped away from tobias to greet the other, adjusting his bow tie, though it was still crooked. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”